Posted on 06/29/2002 5:59:46 AM PDT by Clive
It has been said of the Palestinians that they never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. We will now see for certain whether the old saw is true.
U.S. President George W. Bush's call for a change in Palestinian leadership presents the Palestinian people with a historic chance. If they turn away from their corrupt and discredited leaders and renounce terrorism as a means of achieving their national objectives, they can count on the support of the world's only superpower for an independent Palestine.
In his Middle East address this week, Mr. Bush called on the Palestinians to elect new leaders "not compromised by terror" and to build a democracy based on tolerance and liberty. "If the Palestinian people actively pursue these goals, America and the world will actively support . . . the creation of a Palestinian state."
How will the Palestinians react? The experts are convinced the Bush initiative will backfire. Instead of rejecting Yasser Arafat, the Palestinians will re-elect him by a bigger majority in an election planned for January. No one likes being ordered who to vote for, they say.
That's true, of course, and Mr. Arafat may well be re- elected. But no one is ordering anyone to do anything. It's the right of Palestinians and the Palestinians alone to choose who leads them. But it's also the right of the United States and other countries to choose whether they should continue to deal with Mr. Arafat.
The outside world has poured hundreds of millions of dollars and years of diplomatic energy into the Palestinian leader in hopes that he could shepherd his people toward an honourable peace with Israel. Instead, he rejected an unprecedented Israeli peace offer and led his people in a suicidal uprising.
Mr. Bush is simply saying to the Palestinians, "We can't work with this guy any more. Elect him again if you want, but don't count on our help."
That has to have an effect on Palestinian opinion. While some Palestinians will re-embrace Mr. Arafat to spite Washington, others will conclude that an Arafat stripped of outside backing is useless to them. Common sense shows that only Washington can deliver a Palestinian state because only Washington has the leverage to persuade Israel to accept one.
Mr. Arafat's reaction to the Bush initiative shows what might happen. When it became clear a week or two ago that Mr. Bush might turn decisively against him, he frantically tried to transform himself into a liberal democrat. He arrested a bunch of extremists suspected of terrorist attacks, he announced plans to hold new elections and, most astonishing of all, he said he was now ready to accept the terms of the peace plan that he had rejected before the bloodshed started.
Mr. Arafat knows which way the wind is blowing, and his people know, too. If they have persisted in supporting violence, it is partly because they see they can do so without losing support for their cause. Outside countries have continued to treat Mr. Arafat as a legitimate partner despite his collusion with terrorists.
Washington, at least, has now stopped playing that game. By breaking decisively with Mr. Arafat, Mr. Bush has sent a clear message to the Palestinian people: We support your dream of a national homeland and we are ready to help you bring it about, but only if you choose a new leadership that shuns terrorism and lives up to its pledges to seek a negotiated peace.
The choice before the Palestinians could not be clearer. Turn away from Arafatism and violence and accept the help of the outside world, or stick with Mr. Arafat and fight on alone with your rocks and suicide bombs. The decision should be obvious. This is one opportunity the Palestinians cannot afford to miss.
This is from the Gobe and Mail!!??
Yes. Awesome, eh?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.